Enes Kanter has been ready to leave New York for a while. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Even if the trade deadline goes by and Enes Kanter’s name doesn’t appear in any deal, the veteran can apparently breathe easy. He probably won’t be a member of the New York Knicks much longer.

The Knicks are expected to begin discussions with Kanter over a contract buyout once the trade deadline passes Thursday if the big man is still a member of the team, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

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As the Knicks run out of time to find a trade for center Enes Kanter and his $18.6M expiring deal, discussions on a contract buyout are expected to begin as soon as the deadline passes on Thursday at 3 PM ET, league sources tell ESPN.

Such a development would make sense for everyone involved, though the Knicks would probably wish they had found someone out there willing to take the 26-year-old off their hands. Kanter’s $18.6 million salary has probably scared off most, if not all, suitors, so he should be able to find a landing spot pretty easily once he’s free of that deal.

Escape from New York, starring Enes Kanter

In 44 games played this season, Kanter has averaged 14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while averaging 25.6 minutes on the floor. Defensive shortcomings aside, he would likely be a useful rotation big for nearly every contender. Of course, to do that, Kanter needs to get out of New York first.

While waiting for a possible trade to come around, Kanter has basically been stranded on Knicks island with the word “HELP” spelled out in rocks on the beach for the last few weeks. The Knicks have heavily restricted Kanter’s playing time since early January due to a desire to give minutes to younger centers that are in the team’s long-term plans.